12/01/07 Oxford Stadium has decided that due to lack of attendance on a Friday night that the greyhound meeting will be put back to a Thursday night. This wil lalso allow the Cheetahs speedway team to have their race nights on a Friday.

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21/10/06 With sadness we have learnt that Gentleman Jim Morgan has died aged 86. Jim was a trainer at Oxford for the past 40+ years and was well known for the fact that he preferred greyhounds to people. He was also one of a few Oxford trainers to win a classic with Perth Pat (The Oats 1970). His assistant Johnny Mayo has been granted a temporary trainers licence and will operate from the Burwood Kennels. We know Johnny will do well having been taught by one of the best trainers in the game

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Oxford Mail 20/05/06

OXFORD bookmaker Paul King has quit his pitch at the Stadium following a row over increased fees. King, who bets without the favourite and has to pay an extra £10,000 for the privilege, refused to pay the extra meeting fees and left the Stadium after Tuesday's meeting. Only last week, Jarrad Racing, who failed to turn up for a BAGS meeting, parted company with the GRA and now there are only three bookmakers standing at Sandy Lane. King, who has been at the track for 11 years, said: "If I had agreed to pay the increased fees, an extra £35 per meeting making it £180, it would take my annual cost for standing at Oxford to around £38,000 a year, which works out in my case to around £250 per meeting without paying my staff.

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Members will be pleased to learn that LADBROKES have agreed to sponsor the Association for a further 12 months The LADBROKES SPONSORED RACE takes place on the Oxford Owners Association Race Night the number of the Race is drawn either by a member of Management or a Trainer. To be eligible for the additional £100 Prize Money you must be a Member prior to the 1st of the Month when the Race takes place.

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Who's in charge at Oxford

With the recent departure of Jim Snowden from the post of stadium manager at Oxford. The GRA have decided not to replace him for the time being and the GRA excecutives Clive Feltham and Bob Rowe will be running the stadium between them. If you have any comments or moans then these are the ones to pass them on to.

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Tote prices rise at Oxford

16/5/2004

The GRA have increased the base tote price for the win, place and forcast bets.The win bet is now £2 up from £1, place £2 from £1 and forcast £1 from 50p. This increases the popular forcast combination bet from £3 up to £6. Below is a comment from Stuart Locke-Hart Charman of the OOA.

"Obviously the increase in the tote is in line with other stadiums not in the GRA group and they feel that they will take more tote money!!
Myself I feel that tote punters go with so much money in their pockets to spend and when it's gone its gone! Whether or not the casual restaurant punter who properly spends something on every race will raise his or her stake remains to be seen, I suspect they will.
With regard to the sacking of Jim Snowden for poor figures, in my opinion you will not raise results by keep on putting up prices, you first have to increase your customers, and to do that you have to remove all of the negative forces left at the stadium and work as a team to achieve what we know is achievable. This will take time and purse strings have to be released to invest in Oxford Greyhound Stadium, Jim was given a job to do with no purse, a bit like a football manager who only has a board of Directors a team of 50 year olds and no money, the board still expect results"

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Owners' Association push for air conditioned kennels

Oxford Owners' Association have requested that a quote be obtained for a new air conditioned kennelling area, similar to those currently in operation at Romford.

"Once we know how much it will cost, we can then discuss its funding", said Stuart Locke-Harte, chairman of the Owners' Association, at a recent Association meeting. "This is a greyhound welfare issue that the Owners' Association take very seriously", he concluded. This subject is now a priority after the recent death of a greyhound at Catford Stadium due to heat exhaustion.

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Extra prize money

As from the 1st Jan 2004 Oxford has had an increase of nearly 80% of prize money from the Bookmakers via the BGRF,this takes the pot from £51,980 to £93,120 and the OOA have asked the management to spread it as fairly as possible across the board remembering that the rules from the BGRF state that it should be used evenly on a monthly basis. It has been suggested that 10% of this money should be ring fenced for Trainers and therefore this money will be paid out by GRA when it has been decided the best way of distribution. (This is a BGRF request) As of today we still have not heard if prize monies will be increased for 2004,but atleast we have a start from the bookmakers

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Sunday Bags return

15/10/04

Sunday Bags meetings return to Oxford and replace the long running Friday afternoon meetings. The GRA at Oxford are to hold meetings On Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings untill the new year when they are to drop the Thursday race night and keep the Friday race night. This leaves the Speedway with a dillema as Friday was their normal race night.

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Mick's new book is on sale

'The further adventures of Gordon the Greyhound' the childrens storybook penned by our own ex-racing manager Mick Wheble, this book is a follow up to Mick's first book about Gordon which raised £3000 for the Retired Greyhound Trust. All proceeds from his new book will be given to several charities, one of which is the Oxford Retired Greyhound trust. The book can be purchased in the shops or at many Greyhound stadiums. Gordon is to have his own website at www.gordonthegreyhound.com.

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